INRODUCTION TO ANYSIS

INTRODUCTION

ANSYS is a general-purpose finite element analysis (FEA) software package. Finite

Element Analysis is a numerical method of deconstructing a complex system into very small pieces
(of user-designated size) called elements. The software implements equations that govern the
behaviour of these elements and solves them all; creating a comprehensive explantion of how the
ssystem acts as a whole. These results then can be presented in tabulated, or graphical forms. This
type of analysis is typically used for the design and optimization of a system far too complex to
analyze by hand.Systems that may fit into this category are too complex due to their geometry,scale,
or governing equations.

ANSYS is the standard FEA teaching tool within the Mechanical Engineering Department at many
colleges. ANSYS is also used in Civil and Electrical Engineering, as well as the physics and
chemistry departments.

ANSYS provides a cost-effective way to explore the performance of the products or processes in a
virtual enviroment. This type of product development is termed virtual prototyping.With virtual
prototyping techniques, users can iterate various scenarios to optimize the product long before the
manufacturing is started. This enables a reduction in the level of risk, and in the cost of ineffective
designs. The multifaceted nature anysis also provides a means to ensure that users arre able to see
the effect of design on the whole behavior of the prodcut,be itt electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical
etc..

FUNDAMENTALS OF ANSYS
Before delving into the details of the procedures related to the ANSYS Program, we define the
following terms:

Job name: A specific name to be used for the files created during an ANSYS session. This name can
be assigned either before or after starting the ANSYS program.

Working Directory: A specific folder (directory) for ANSYS to store all of the files created during a
session. It is possible to specify the Working Directory before or after starting ANSYS.

Interactive Mode: This is the most common mode of interaction between the user and the ANSYS
program. It involves activation of a platform called Graphical User Interface {GUI), which is
composed of menus, dialog boxes, push-buttons, and different windows. Interactive Mode is the
recommended mode for beginner ANSYS users as it provides an excellent platform for learning. It is
also highly effective for post processing.
Batch Mode: This is a method to use the ANSYS program without activating the GUI It involves an
Input File written in ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL), which allows the use of
parameters and common programming features such as DO loops and IF statements. These capabilities
make the Batch Mode a very powerful analysis tool. Another distinct advantage of the Batch Mode is
realized when there is an error/mistake in the model generation. This type of problem can be fixed by
modifying a small portion of the Input File and reading it again, saving the user a great deal of time.

Combined Mode: This is a combination of the Interactive and Batch Modes in which the user
activates the GUI and reads the Input File. Typically, this method allows the user to generate the model
and obtain the solution using the Input File while reviewing the results using the 16 FEM WITH
ANSYS Postprocessor within the GUL This method combines the salient advantages of the Interactive
and Batch Modes, Before an ANSYS Session The construction of solutions to engineering problems
using FEA requires either the development of a computer program based on the FEA formulation or
the use of a commercially available general-purpose FEA program such as ANSYS. The ANSYS
program is a powerful, multi-purpose analysis tool that can be used in a wide variety of engineering
disciplines. Before using ANSYS to generate an FEA model of a physical system, the following
questions should be answered based on engineering judgment and observations:

What are the objectives of this analysis?

Should the entire physical system be modeled, or just a portion?
How much detail should be included in the model?
How refined should the finite element mesh be?

In answering such questions, the computational expense should be balanced against the accuracy of
the results. Therefore, the ANSYS finite element program can be employed in a correct and efficient
way after considering the following:

Type of problem.
Time dependence.
Nonlinearity.
Modeling idealizations/simplifications.

Each of these topics is discussed in this section.

Analysis Discipline
The ANSYS program is capable of simulating problems in a wide range of engineering disciplines.
However, this book focuses on the following disciplines:

Structural Analysis: Deformation, stress, and strain fields, as well as reaction forces in a solid body.
Thermal Analysis: Steady-state or time-dependent temperature field and heat flux in a solid body.
Structural Analysis. This analysis type addresses several different structural problems.
Static Analysis: The applied loads and support conditions of the solid body do not change with time.
Nonlinear material and geometrical properties such as plasticity, contact, creep, etc., are available.

Modal Analysis: This option concerns natural frequencies and modal shapes of a structure.
Harmonic Analysis: The response of a structure subjected to loads only exhibiting sinusoidal
behavior in time.

Transient Dynamic: The response of a structure subjected to loads with arbitrary behavior in time.

Eigen value Buckling: This option concerns the buckling loads and buckling modes of a structure.

Thermal Analysis:
This analysis type addresses several different thermal problems, for example:

Primary Heat Transfer: Steady-state or transient conduction, convection and radiation.

Phase Change: Melting or freezing.

Thermo mechanical Analysis: Thermal analysis results are employed to compute displacement,
stress, and strain fields due to differential thermal expansion.

Degrees of Freedom:
The ANSYS solution for each of these analysis disciplines provides nodal values of the field variable.
This primary unknown is called a degree of freedom (DOF). The degrees of freedom for these
disciplines are presented. The analysis discipline should be chosen based on the quantities of interest.

Degrees of freedom for structural and thermal analysis disciplines.

Discipline
Structural
Thermal
Quantity
Displacement, stress, strain,
reaction forces
Temperature, flux
DOF
Displacement
Temperature

Time Dependence:
The analysis with ANSYS should be time-dependent if:

The solid body is subjected to time varying loads.

 The solid body has an initially specified temperature distribution.
The body changes phase.

Nonlinearity:
Most real-world physical phenomena exhibit nonlinear behavior. There are many situations in which
assuming a linear behavior for the physical system might provide satisfactory results. On the other
hand, there are circumstances or phenomena that might require a nonlinear solution. A nonlinear
structural behavior may arise because of geometric and material nonlinearities, as well as a change in
the boundary conditions and structural integrity. These nonlinearities are discussed briefly in the
following subsections.

Geometric Nonlinearity:
There are two main types of geometric nonlinearity:

Large deflection and rotation: If the structure undergoes large displacements compared to its
smallest dimension and rotations to such an extent that its original dimensions and position, as well as
the loading direction, change significantly, the large deflection and rotation analysis becomes
necessary. For example, a fishing rod with a low lateral stiffness under a lateral load experiences large
deflections and rotations.

Stress stiffening: When the stress in one direction affects the stiffness in another direction, stress
stiffening occurs. Typically, a structure that has little or no stiffness in compression while having
considerable stiffness in tension exhibits this behavior. Cables, membranes, or spinning structures
Exhibit stress stiffening.

Material Nonlinearity:
A linear material response is a good approximation if the material exhibits a nearly linear stress-strain
curve up to a proportional limit and the loading is in a manner that does not create stresses higher than
the yield stress anywhere in the body.

Changing-status Nonlinearity:
Many common structural features exhibit nonlinear behavior that is status dependent. When the status
of the physical system changes, its stiffness shifts abruptly. The ANSYS program offers solutions to
such phenomena through the use of nonlinear contact elements and birth and death options. This type
of behavior is common in modeling manufacturing processes such as that of a shrink-fit.

Practical Modeling Considerations:

In order to reduce computational time, minor details that do not influence the results should not be
included in the FE model. Minor details can also be ignored in order to render the geometry symmetric,
which leads to a reduced FE model. However, in certain structures, "small'* details such as fillets or
holes may be the areas of maximum stress, which might prove to be extremely important in the analysis
and design. Engineering judgment is essential to balance the possible gain in computational cost
against the loss of accuracy.
Symmetry Conditions:
If the physical system under consideration exhibits symmetry in geometry, material properties, and
loading, then it is computationally advantageous to model only a representative portion. If the
symmetry observations are to be included in the model generation, the physical system must exhibit
symmetry in all of the following:
Geometry.
Material properties.
Loading.
Degree of freedom constraints.

Different types of symmetry are:

Axis symmetry.
Rotational symmetry.
Planar or reflective symmetry.
Repetitive or translational symmetry.

Examples for each of the symmetry types are shown in. Each of these symmetry types is discussed
below.
Axis symmetry: As illustrated in 4, axis symmetry is the symmetry about a central axis, as exhibited
by structures such as light bulbs, straight pipes, cones, circular plates, and domes.
Rotational Symmetry: A structure possesses rotational symmetry when it is made up of repeated
segments arranged about a central axis. An example is a turbine rotor.
Types of symmetry conditions
Axis symmetry, rotational, reflective/planar, and repetitive/translational.
Different views of a 3-D body with axis symmetry and its cross section (far right).
Different views of a 3-D body with rotational symmetry.Planar or Reflective Symmetry When one-
half of a structure is a mirror image of the other half, planar or reflective symmetry exists, as shown
in In this case, the plane of symmetry is located on the surface of the mirror.
Repetitive or Translational Symmetry Repetitive or translational symmetry exists when a structure is
made up of repeated segments lined up in a row, such as a long pipe with evenly spaced cooling fins

Symmetry in Material Properties, Loading, and Displacements Once symmetry in geometry is

observed, the same symmetry plane or axis should also be valid for the material properties, loading
(forces, pressure, etc.), and Different views of a 3-D body with reflective/planar symmetry. A 3-D
body with repetitive/translational symmetry. Constraints. For example, a homogeneous and isotropic
square plate with a hole at the center under horizontal tensile loading symmetry in both geometry and
material with respect to horizontal, vertical, and both diagonal axes. However, the loading is
symmetric with respect to horizontal and vertical axes only. Therefore, a quarter of the structure is
required in the construction of the solution. If the applied loading varies in the vertical direction, as
shown in, the loading becomes symmetric with respect to the vertical axis only. Although the geometry
exhibits octant symmetry, half-symmetry is necessary in order to construct the solution.

A similar plate, this time composed of two dissimilar materials are shown in the loading condition
allows for quarter-symmetry; however, the material properties are symmetric with respect to the
horizontal axis only. Therefore, it is limited to half-symmetry. If this plate is subjected to a horizontal
tensile load varying in the vertical direction, as shown in no symmetry condition is present. Since
structure may exhibit symmetry in one or more of the aforementioned categories, one should try to
find the smallest possible segment of the structure that would represent the entire structure. If the
physical system exhibits symmetry in geometry, material properties, loading, and displacement
constraints, it is computationally advantageous to use symmetry in the analysis. Typically, the use of
symmetry produces better results as it leads to a finer, more detailed model than would otherwise be
possible.

A three-dimensional finite element mesh of the structure shown in contains 18,739 tetrahedral
elements with 5,014 nodes. However, the two dimensional mesh of the cross section necessary for the
axis symmetric analysis has 372 quadrilateral elements and 447 nodes. The use of symmetry in this
case reduces the CPU time required for the solution while delivering the same level of accuracy in the
results.

Mesh Density:
In general, a large number of elements provide a better approximation of the solution. However, in
some cases, an excessive number of elements may increase the round-off error. Therefore, it is
important that the mesh is adequately fine or coarse in the appropriate regions. How fine or coarse the
Mesh should be in such regions is another important question. Unfortunately, definitive answers to the
questions about mesh refinement are not available since it is completely dependent on the specific
physical system considered. However, there are some techniques that might be helpful in answering
these questions:

Adaptive Meshing: The generated mesh is required to meet acceptable energy error estimate criteria.
The user provides the ''acceptable" error level information. This type of meshing is available only for
linear static structural analysis and steady-state thermal analysis. Three-dimensional mesh of a
structure (left) and 2-D mesh of the same structure (right) using axis symmetry.

Mesh Refinement Test Within ANSYS: An analysis with an initial mesh is performed first and then
reanalyzed by using twice as many elements. The two solutions are compared. If the results are close
to each other, the initial mesh configuration is considered to be adequate. If there are substantial
differences between the two, the analysis should continue with a more-refined mesh and a subsequent
comparison until convergence is established.

Sub modeling: If the mesh refinement test yields nearly identical results for most regions and
substantial differences in only a portion of the model, the built-in "sub modeling" feature of ANSYS
should be employed for localized mesh refinement. This feature is described in Organization of
ANSYS Software there are two primary levels in the ANSYS program, as shown in

Begin Level: Gateway into and out of ANSYS and platform to utilize some global controls such as
changing jobname, etc.
Processor Level: This level contains the processors (preprocessor, solution, postprocessor, etc.) that
are used to conduct finite element analyses. The user is in the Begin Level upon entering the ANSYS
program. One can proceed to the Processor Level by clicking the mouse on one of the processor
selections in the ANSYS Main Menu,
ANSYS Analysis Approach
There are three main steps in a typical ANSYS analysis:
Model generation
Define materials/material properties.
Generate finite element model (mesh).
Solution:
Specify boundary conditions.
Obtain the solution.
Review results

Each of these steps corresponds to a specific processor or processors within the Processor Level in
ANSYS. In particular, model generation is done in the Preprocessor and application of loads and the
solution is performed in the Solution Processor, Finally, the results are viewed in the General
Postprocessor and Time History Postprocessor for steady-state (static) and transient (time-dependent)
problems, respectively. There are several other processors within the ANSYS program. These mostly
concern optimization and probabilistic-type problems. The most commonly used processors are
described in the following subsections.